Authorities are searching for a man who fled from Department of Public Safety custody after learning he was a wanted felon.

Devlin Niall Dewey, 19, of Amarillo, is wanted on a felony assault warrant out of Potter County and now a new charge of evading arrest for running from a DPS trooper around 1:45 p.m. today, DPS spokesman Gabriel Medrano said.

Dewey was in the DPS driver's license office near Interstate 27 and Georgia Street in Amarillo to determine why his state-issued ID card had not been sent to him, Medrano said. A trooper approached Dewey and explained about the outstanding warrant, Medrano said.

"He bolted out the door," he said. "He took off running across I-27. He nearly got hit several times."

Dewey then ran into a Wal-Mart parking lot at 4215 Canyon Drive, which is located across the street from the DPS office, and nearly was hit again, Medrano said.

The trooper was following on foot more carefully, Medrano said.

A witness told the pursuing trooper that Dewey had entered Wal-Mart so troopers searched that building. Customers were not asked to leave, Medrano said.

A subsequent review of security tapes revealed that Dewey had not actually entered the building.